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Alicia Valka
Appearance Standing at five feet and nine inches tall, Alicia has the lithe frame of an experienced fencer, and moves with all the grace one might expect of such a person. Her straight golden hair is long, hanging just short of halfway down her back, seeming to match her sapphire blue eyes well. Alicia's preferences in clothing are in fact something rather complex, a reflection of her noble background, her personality, and simple practicality all at once. She enjoys beautiful artistry in her clothing, but shies away from the truly ostentatious, and as well, refuses to wear anything that restricts her movement. If there is an emergency, she wants to be able to react at her full capacity, nothing less. At the moment however, she only owns one dress: A single white blouse with long sleeves, which is covered by what can only be described as a black half shirt, sleeveless and only covering the upper section of the torso below the shoulders. This half-shirt has criss-crossing diagonal lines of thread pressing in, forming the rest of the fabric into squares. Going with this is a dark green skirt with a red fringe at the bottom. The skirt is slightly past knee length, but has slits down the sides which prevent it from restricting movement. Personality If one was uncharitable, they might accuse Alicia of being cold and ruthless. She certainly is calculating, even scheming, and will not hesitate to do whatever is necessary for her goals. She even seems power hungry, as she works to get whatever tools which are useful to her, and would even sweep countries, even all of Thedas up into her plans if she deemed such necessary. However, it would be a great disservice to define her by these alone. While relentless in pursuit of her goals, the fact is that these goals are not born of selfishness, or blind ambition. She seeks power for its ability to change the world for the better, even as she knows it is a double-edged sword. While her methods can be at times questionable, she is not unaware of this. The simple truth is, sometimes there is no good choice- So she tries to find the best she can. For every regret she leaves in her wake, there is a conviction to ensure that the damage done shall not be in vain. Even if her plans fail, she must move forward in order to make things better. If she does not, every price she and others have paid has been for nothing, and this is unacceptable. The demeanor that she displays by default is quite cold, in reality. While she is more than capable of tact and diplomacy, she normally prefers to cut straight to the point- Or perhaps cut a different way. She has a great appreciation of wit, and her own is often directed to scathing criticisms of others. The edge is all the sharper against those she dislikes, but even those she would call friends can easily find themselves at the end of it. While this treatment is harsh, it isn't pointlessly so. She seeks to make others realize their mistakes by thrusting it back so deeply into them that they cannot ignore it, so they might prove themselves. It may well be painful for them to hear, but sugar-coating things isn't going to help matters. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Alicia is quite ready to change her demeanor to fit the situation. She knows well that speaking one's mind directly is not always the answer to a given situation, and can hide her opinions underneath deception, or twist the truth so much that it cannot even be called such anymore. Or, she might simply show kindness to one who needs it. She will react as the situations demands. No less, no more. While Alicia may seem haughty at times, she is not narcissistic or self-important by any means. She places herself above others only in that she must be alive to continue working to make things better, and her plans cannot be simply trusted to others. Worth is not determined by birth or possessions, and even a poor man who she has never met has value in her eyes. She will show the respect worthy of an equal, in her eyes, to even a stranger, even if they might lose that respect through their actions in the future. Of course, once that respect is fully lost, she will not view them as having any value whatsoever. Biography Born a noble in Starkhaven, Alicia was taught from a young age how to deal with the intrigues of politics, as well as various other things that go with it. When there was time, her mother did much of the teaching, coloring her worldview and teaching her how to judge situations and people. Her mother was, in the end, responsible for a great deal of her worldview now. Her father, on the other hand, had little to do with her. It seemed he always had something better to do than deal with his daughter, inevitably. Alicia grew up without knowing him at all... The one thing she would come to know about him would instill deep hatred of him into her soul. One night, Alicia had a question to ask her mother. When she arrived outside her parents' room, she witnessed her father kill his own wife, and a servant as well, to take the fall. As she saw her father's gaze fall toward her, she ran for her life, back to her room. ...She couldn't stay. He would kill her too. She was only going to that room for one thing... Her saber. Unfortunately, her only escape route from there was her window. Then again, she wouldn't have made it out the front door like this... Her father could have ordered the guards to stop her. So she made her decision, and went out on the side of the house... It was difficult keeping her balance, using only decorations on the walls of the manor to keep herself from falling down to the ground. But she did it, making her way down... And then she ran. When she felt safe, albeit only temporarily, questions filled her mind. However, there was but one that was of importance at this moment... Where could she go now? Staying in Starkhaven as it was couldn't be a good idea. Her father would find her, and kill her... And then she had a thought. She could go to Kirkwall. It would be a difficult journey, which she wasn't equipped to make on her own. However, she knew that Sebastian had been sent there in the past... Perhaps she could make an ally of him, and work from there... Things could not remain as they were now in Starkhaven. And so, the next day, she began searching for a way to reach Kirkwall... The journey was difficult. Suffice it to say, however, she has arrived in Kirkwall at last... What shall she do from here? Timeline Relationships Category:Inactive Characters